Research Paper on:
Influential Black Singers

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
the modern climate of bottom lines and quotas, what makes someone decide to be an artist, where more than likely their only source of income will come from their ability  to hold a day job while perfecting their art? What drives the musical temperament to continue on, sometimes in total obscurity, when they may be more successful (monetarily, anyway) by  engaging in another more lucrative profession? At least three black musicians, Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price, and William Warfield, seem to have answered this question for themselves and in fact went  on to provide the world with a wealth of music, entertainment and influence. MARIAN ANDERSON Marina Anderson would be faced with the heavy hand of racism early on in her  career. In Rosalyn Storys book about Anderson, she retells the story of Marian first applying to the music school. Her community had supported her throughout her growing up years and  wanted to see her succeed. However, she mentions that she received a concerted shock when a very youngish admissions secretary refused her admission because Marian was black. Though she had  the money to attend, she was denied entrance because of her race. "I could not conceive of a person surrounded as she was with the joy that is music without  having some sense of its beauty and understanding rub off on her. I did not argue with her or ask to see her superior. It was as if a cold,  horrifying hand had been laid on me. I turned and walked out"(Story, 1990). She would find this sentiment repeated for the next year or so. Finally, in frustration, she  gathered her resources and left the country. In Europe she would find the supportive atmosphere which would see her return to the United States to great acclaim some years later.